You’ve probably heard several sermons on independence. Some people may even have indirectly de-emphasized the importance of a mentor to your growth as a professional. You can’t blame them. The world we live in requires you to go hard and, sometimes, go alone if you must succeed. Depending on other people at every turn may prove to be an ineffective way to get to the top in your career or otherwise.
However, having a mentor is a unique and highly-rewarding relationship. You see, the importance of a mentor to your growth as a professional cannot be overstated. If you have any doubts, allow us to show you:
Mentors reduce the learning curve
The learning curve is essentially the amount of time it’ll take you to learn something before you eventually become good enough at it. Learning by yourself is effective, but it is incredibly long.
We’re all inspired by the tale of the light bulb’s inventor, who failed several times before finally succeeding. But, if we were to ask him, we’re sure he’d have appreciated having someone by his side to save the time he spent trying to figure it out.
In the same vein, you’ll appreciate having a mentor because they’ve been there before. They can easily help you get past places you usually would get stuck in. So, instead of spending months or years at a role or position, you can be out of there even faster with a mentor.
Mentors help you avoid expensive mistakes
The entire purpose of a mentor is to gain insight into areas you haven’t trodden before. When you’re running a business, there’s the possibility that you’ll make certain decisions that aren’t so good for you.
Some of them might be easy to bounce back from with a bit of grit and determination. Others could potentially ruin your business or career. With the knowledge and information they have, a mentor could tell you when you’re going into these potholes and about to make these mistakes. This effectively saves you from many consequences ranging from embarrassment to loss of money, among many other things.
Good mentors allow you to grow independently
A good mentor will never teach you in ways that’ll leave you entirely dependent on them for knowledge, insight, and decision making. Instead, they’ll steadily groom you to make critical decisions yourself and grow as a professional.
This will put you ahead of the competition in the industry. It’ll also help you think a little farther than your level and ultimately improve your earning capacity with demonstrable skills.
Mentors keep you going
You’d be deceiving yourself severely if you assumed that being a professional or business owner wouldn’t come with any challenges. Of course, there’ll be ups. So much so that you might be inclined to feel like that’s all business is about. However, there’ll be downs, and when they come, they can be devastating.
Especially when issues involving your reputation are concerned, you might feel the undeniable urge to quit. In those moments, if you’re going alone, you might end up leaving and missing out on a potentially rewarding career. Even if you don’t quit, you’ll undoubtedly be less motivated than you used to be.
With a mentor, you can rest assured that you have a pillar to lean on when things are shaky or when you start neglecting to challenge yourself.
Mentors help ensure you remain productive
Occasionally, you’ll get lazy. It could come after a huge success where you start thinking that you’ve finally gotten all that you want. This can be pretty dangerous to you and your career.
An experienced mentor knows that you need to spoil yourself a little every now and then. However, they also know the danger of having that linger for too long. So, when appropriate, they’ll caution you and make you go back to work when you’re unable to set or obey those boundaries for yourself. Think of them as your voice of reason if you want to truly understand the importance of a mentor to your career.
In conclusion:
There are several things you stand to gain from an experienced mentor that’s invested in you. But, in reality, it isn’t very easy to get an excellent mentor who’s committed to your growth. In that case, you need to be on the lookout for those who are and establish a great relationship with them. Alternately, you could hop on a training with individuals and high-class professionals who are deeply invested in your development as a professional. If you’re wondering, there’s one at your doorstep right now – Pervium Training.
